


In the Sky

by nicoDicclexa



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, M/M, Multi, One-Sided Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson, solangelo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-05-20 03:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5990773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicoDicclexa/pseuds/nicoDicclexa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Red brick, wrought iron gates, high arched windows. Harmony Heights Academy couldn’t look more like it had been pulled from a movie if it had tried. Oh, Nico was just going to adore living here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Weed Jokes and Dance-a-thons

Nico didn’t love his life.

But it _could_ be worse, and at the very least he supposed he was used to it. He guessed that was why he was so angry at the idea of leaving home for some boarding school that was bound to be filled with a multitude of spoiled brats. He had never even heard of Harmony Heights Academy and honestly what kind of school is called Harmony Heights? No school Nico wanted to go to that’s for damn sure! Not that Nico had a choice. He was _going_ to that school even if Maria di Angelo had to drag him by the collar of his aviator jacket. His mother had made that quite clear. As much as he resented his Mother’s decision to send him away he did understand where she was coming from, ever since Bianca...left, he had fallen in with a bad crowd. He didn’t even really enjoy being around Octavian and his guys, he just didn’t feel as alone when he was with them. He had tried to explain this to his mother, but she was already wrapped around the idea of all the drugs and alcohol Nico _must_ be doing. Nico had never even touched a beer let alone drugs, but that didn’t matter to her. This school was in her words “A fresh start to weed out all of his bad habits”.

 He had refrained from making a weed joke though he was regretting it now. He hadn’t even taken his mother seriously when she first brought up the idea of boarding school. The idea had been so laughable at first. HA! Him! In boarding school! As if he’d even get in.  But he _did_ get in, and tomorrow when he arrived in Long Island it would all become a little too real.

The train ride to Harmony Heights wasn’t as long as Nico expected. It had only taken three hours for him to find himself outside the towering red brick building he was going to call home for the next nine months. Red brick, wrought iron gates, high arched windows. Harmony Heights Academy couldn’t look more like it had been pulled from a movie if it had tried and it probably did. Oh, Nico was just going to _adore_ living here.

As soon as Nico stepped through the gates his belongings in hand, he was swept up in the hubbub of a new school year. People he assumed were seniors were handing out various different flyers announcing different school meet & greets or fundraisers that were coming up. Nico did his best to avoid them, he was just going to cruise through the school year like he always did, on his own.

He made his way up to the registry table careful to avoid any of the seniors who seemed to be now resorting to just stuffing flyers on top of people’s possessions. Apparently nobody wanted to go to the “Annual Harmony Heights Dance-a-thon”.   _Weird_.

As he approached the registry table he noticed it seemed to be manned by a boy who looked like he put the _harmony_ in Harmony Heights. Wavy blonde hair and a smile that rested on his face too easily for it to ever mean anything. Exactly the kind of person Nico wasn’t friends with. If, you know, he _had_ friends.

Nico rested his hands upon the table and sort of half coughed-half choked on his own cough to announce his presence. The boy looked up at him and smiled, flashing his ever pearly pearly whites.

“Hey, my name’s Will Solace I’m the freshmen advisor. “Have you signed in yet?”

Nico was a bit embarrassed by the fact Will could tell he was a freshman just by looking at him. He had always felt a tiny bit insecure about how young he looked. He was turning fifteen in four months and he looked like he was barely twelve.

“Uh, no I haven’t” Nico stuttered.

Will smiled again, “No problemo, just sign your name here” He pointed towards a piece of paper, “and-I’m sorry what’s your name?”

Nico let out a muffled “Nico di Angelo” and finished signing his name on the sheet.

“Great” Will said, “Your room number is 213 in Chiron’s dorm, you’ll be sharing with Percy Jackson, don’t worry he’s nice”.

Will definitely seemed like the kind of person to call everybody nice so Nico didn’t take his word on it just yet. Nico did a little wave at Will before he made his way to his dorm, moving fast so he’d hopefully get there before his roommate.

The architecture of Nico’s dorm was impressive he’d admit it. The building had a very greekesque feel to it with the high stone columns and the imitated architrave over the top. He was struck with the feeling he might actually enjoy living here.

That feeling unsurprisingly didn’t last long.

 As Nico reached his dorm room and lifted his hand up to grasp the doorknob he was stopped by the loud buzzing of a shower inside his room. He guessed his roommate got here before him. _Ugh._ As Nico entered the room he was overcome by smells that just screamed **_boy_**. Nico had grown up only living with girls so this smell was unfamiliar and definitely unwanted. Nico tried not to show his distaste on his face but inside he was trying not to gag. The second thing Nico noticed when he arrived was that the room had a very lived in feel to it. Family photo’s hung on the walls and clothes were strewn across the floor despite the fact they were only supposed to move in today. Then slowly Nico put all the pieces together. His roommate was a senior. That would explain why all his stuff was already here and why his clothes were on the floor. Seniors were supposed to arrive a few days earlier than everybody else so they could help set up the school. Nico was filled with a sense of discomfort. He was betting on living with a freshman, someone who would be just as clueless as him about the school but now Nico was stuck with some popular athlete as his roommate if any of the trophies on his shelves were something to go by.

Nico placed his bag on the stripped bed he assumed was his and started gently folding and then placing his clothes in his drawers. When he was finished he sat on his bed and checked his phone. He had two messages from his mother.

Mamma: Hope everything’s okay. Stay out of trouble. I love you bambino.

Nico texted back a quick I love you before he noticed the shower had stopped its buzzing.

Time to meet his roommate.


	2. Spoons and Male Genitalia

Nico didn’t like being wrong, but god was he ever.

Nico had been bracing himself for a buff, blonde, douchey-looking guy to step out of the bathroom, the boy who Nico actually saw was a tad bit far off from his expectations.

The boy, Percy, was tall and lean and though he didn’t don a six pack his stomach was certainly toned. He had thick messy black hair that was dripping water trails down his chest. Nico had to look away, his face flushing at the sight of Percy’s bare chest.

Percy, obviously just now noticing somebody else was in the room whipped his head towards Nico sending a spit of water droplets firing behind him.

“Hi I’m Percy, you must be my new roommate” Percy beamed, offering Nico a lazy side smile.

“Nico” Nico replied, he said it abruptly as a way to signal an end to any conversation that might continue.

Percy didn’t understand this it seemed.

“So I was about to head down to the cafeteria,” Percy said looking down at his watch. “After I” He gestured towards his quasi-naked body “get dressed” He smiled again and continued, “You should come with, you can meet some of my friends”.

Nico was going to say no believe him he was, but the thought of staying cramped up in this dorm all day with no company was seeming more unappealing the more he thought about it. Home _was_ shit but at least he had his Mamma for company. So, hesitantly, trying not to seem overeager he nodded his head.

Percy gave Nico a thumbs up and said, “Great I’ll just get changed and then we can go”.

Then Percy was naked.

Like, full on, no clothes stark ass naked.

Nico had never lived with boys before, and he regularly avoided gym class back home, so seeing male genitalia (other than _you know_ his own) was uncomfortable and _very_ embarrassing. He made sure to quickly avert his eyes, trying to distract himself by focusing on one of Percy’s many swimming accolades, pointedly ignoring the heat that was crawling up his neck. _Do boys always just get naked in front of each other?_ Distracting himself obviously wasn’t working. Luckily he didn’t have to stare at Percy’s gold trophies (was it just Nico or did that sound like a metaphor for a dick? Oh god) ,for too long as he finished dressing before long. Soon enough they were on their way to the cafeteria and Nico had buried the thoughts of Percy’s naked body deep deep down.

* * *

 

Nico disliked many things in life but he only truly hated three. Crowds were most certainly one of those three. The cafeteria was packed. Students were poking from every corner and crevice of the lunchroom and Nico blanched at the swarm of students who seemed to be calling Percy over to sit with them. This moment for Nico was pure fight or flight and he was seriously debating turning around and making a bolt for it when Percy caught hold of Nico’s arm. “Come on, you’re sitting with us”. The causal ease in which Percy welcomed him to stay with him thawed a tiny bit of the nerves in Nico’s stomach. So he followed.

Up close, Percy’s friends were a lot more nerve-wracking to Nico, which was odd considering two people had silver spoons stuck to their noses. Percy’s friends seemed to perk up at his arrival, especially a wild haired blonde girl cradling a book under her armpit. As soon as Percy stationed himself in a lunch chair his eyes were immediately drawn to blondie, making Nico give her another glance. She was pretty Nico supposed and her gray eyes seemed to radiate an intelligence Nico could only wish to have. Percy and her seemed to have a silent stare off for a couple seconds before Percy noticed that Nico was still hovering behind him. Percy let out a little laugh before gesturing at Nico to sit beside him.

“Everybody, this is Nico my new roommate”. Nico ducked his head a little at the attention he was now getting. “Be nice guys” Percy flashed a look at one boy in particular.

The boy Percy was quietly staring at clapped his hands together at Percy’s implication. “As if I would ever be anything less _Mom_ ”. The boy cut back, but it was more joking than anything. He turned a look that could only be described as devilish to Nico. “Leo Valdez at your service, but _you_ can call me whatever you want” He finished his flirtatious comment with a wink that made Nico’s insides squirm. _Was he that obvious Nico thought?_ But thankfully for Nico’s stomach it just seemed that was Leo’s personal way of introducing himself to strangers.

“ _Really_ Leo, do you have to flirt with everybody you meet” A brown haired girl gave Leo a light pop on the back of the head.

“What? He’s pretty” Leo defended himself, but due to his now moving eyes Nico deduced he was becoming quickly bored of this conversation. Nico was too.

The girl with the brown hair turned a warm look towards Nico and he was momentarily left a bit speechless by what he took in. The girl was just so beautiful, albeit not Nico’s _type,_ but wow. Her chestnut brown hair was cropped at uneven angles which would have looked awkward on any other person but on her they seemed to intensify her beauty, highlighting the soft curves of her cheekbones and the gentle angle of her eyes. Her tanned skin stood in harmonising contrast to her unusually coloured eyes. Nico caught himself staring at her and did a quick check around the table to see if anybody had noticed but to his relief it looked like nobody did.

“I’m Piper” She held out a hand across the table for Nico to shake,” it’s really nice to meet you” Even Piper’s voice seemed to have a certain melodic hum to it.

Nico did return her handshake but retracted his hand as fast as he could when she let go.

Nico did a quick look around the table to see who he was still yet to be introduced to but Percy caught his eye and seemed to understand what Nico was thinking.

Percy waved his hand around the table and called out names as he went. “That’s Frank Zhang” Percy said pointing to a slightly chubby Chinese boy. He carried on, “Blondie over there is Jason Grace” “And lastly my pride and joy, the very sun to my moon, the rain to my shine, over there is called Annabeth Chase” He mock batted his eyelids at her, but behind the joke was a real undiluted caring for her, love maybe. Even somebody as blind as Nico in the love department could see it clearly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes at Percy and bit back a tiny smile.

“Hey” Annabeth said to Nico “If Percy’s tendency to annoy anything that breathes ever gets too much for you don’t hesitate to call me” She raised her hand as if to look at her nails, “I know a guy”

Percy turned a fake look of hurt on Annabeth, “My very own girlfriend would bag me for a guy she’s only just met”. Percy raised a hand to his forehead and sighed dramatically, “I thought you loved me”. 

Annabeth let out a laugh as she got out of her chair, “We’ve got history Zhang” She directed to Frank before giving Percy a quick peck on the cheek. After that her and Frank were up and gone.

Nico was a bit confused as to why they were going to a history class when the school term didn’t start till Monday and it was still only Friday he went as far as to bite back his doubts and ask Percy.

“Oh, Annabeth and Frank are both giant history buffs they’ve been helping Mr. Chiron get the assignments ready for this year’s classes. “ “They’re both competing against each other to become his T.A.”

Leo tuned back into the conversation with that, “I don’t know why they bother, Mr. Chiron’s _so_ boring, he could droll on and on about a bunch of dead Greek dudes for the rest of his life”.

Nico pushed down his reply to that, though it physically pained him to see somebody with so little regard to an era as Important as Ancient Greece.

Percy looked down at his watch and swore to himself. He looked to Nico a bit guiltily.

“Nico I’ve got to bail, I’ve got swim practice”. “You can make your way back to the dorm right?”

Nico nodded his reply, and that was, it seemed all that Percy needed as he made a dash for it.

Nico gave a short wave to Piper, Leo and Jason as he got up to return to his dorm.

As he reached the cafeteria exit he looked back to where he was sitting. Smiling a little at Leo and Piper’s fighting and Jason’s not so appreciated intervention.

He felt a sweet kindling in his stomach and let out a tiny gasp at the feeling he realised was happiness. He hadn’t felt content like this since before Bianca died but the guilt of that thought soon stomped over the blossoming warmth in his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came out a bit slower than I expected but oh well \\_(ツ)_/¯  
> You can find my Tumblr @herongraystairsbitch  
> Enjoy!  
> (Also I headcannon a lot of characters with different sexuality's as Rick lacks characters that are explicitly LGBTIAP+ as you can see by Leo's pansexuality)


	3. Sleeping in and Eating Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter but after that couple months (sorry)) long hiatus I did really want to get this chapter out :)

Saturday morning was uneventful to say the least.

Percy had gotten out of bed and on his way to swim practice by 7 am and Nico wasn’t going to budge from under his blankets until at least 10. So a quiet, relaxing sleep-in it was.

Nico was grateful for the couple of hours alone, it gave him time to recoup and figure out what kind of mind-set he was in for the day. Nico’s bad days had become more frequent since Bianca died so he liked to plan his day around not seeing people he actually liked encase his explosive attitude made him lash out at them. Also Percy’s idle chatter was enough conversation to tire Nico out for a month. Percy wasn’t the kind of person to resort to small talk; no Percy wanted to talk about literally anything besides the weather, and though at first Nico saw it as a bit endearing he had quickly switched his gears into thinking it was so damn annoying. So yes, he needed his alone time to rest his brain and try to sort all of the useless Percy Jackson facts that he now knew into some hidden compartment of his brain. (Did you know Percy’s favourite colour is blue? Who knew? It’s not like every single customizable outfit and object Percy owns is some different shade of aqua!)

The short but persistent buzzing of Nico’s phone finally awoke him from his rest and though he wasn’t really asleep, the insistent noise was definitely interrupting his brain napping session. On the fourth buzz Nico was finally pissed off enough to reach his hand out to his phone and answer it.

“What?!” Nico demanded coming off a bit gruffer than he intended. Today was supposed to be a good day.

A laugh on the other end of the line jarred Nico awake. Nico had expected the phone call to be his mother, after all who else would call him? Nico dimly remembered giving his number to Percy so he’d shut up (he didn’t though, shocker) but even after only a day of living with Percy, Nico didn’t find this voice familiar enough to be his.

“Hey Nico, it’s Leo, Percy passed along your number”

Nico was going to kill Percy.

“Yeah, so?” Nico said. (O.K that was a bit rude, Nico would admit it)

“Well, me, Pipes and Jason were going to swing down to The Suger Shrimp Diner and Piper figured-Ow, okay!-We figured that since Percy’s at swim practice you’d be all alone.” “Ow OH MY GOD PIPER WHAT THE F-.”

Nico started to cut him off in protest, but it was too late.

“We’ll swing by in fifteen minutes, be ready.” “Later pretty boy.”

This wasn’t going to end well.

True to their word Leo and co. arrived fifteen minutes later, showering a bleary eyed Nico with “What’s ups?” and “How’s it going?” as he let them through his door.

Leo quickly made himself comfortable on Nico’s black duvet covers, while he also seemed to give everything Nico owned a onceover. “Don’t you own anything…” Leo snapped his fingers as he searched for a word and clapped his hands together when he found one, “Not so colourless?” Nico glanced over his things after Leo said that. He guessed Leo was right. Black was Nico’s colour of choice, in fact almost everything he was wearing besides the brown aviator jacket and white skull shirt was black. Nico wasn’t going to change that because some edgy kid who spoke everything right from his mind made a comment about it. (But it did kinda hurt when Piper nodded along in agreement) (at least Jason looked like he didn’t care about the palette of Nico’s blankets)

Just as he was about to let out a comment defending his aesthetic choices his stomach let out a little grumble. Jason and Piper chuckled at that and Leo let out a deafening,

“Let’s EAT” before they all headed out the door and towards The Sugar Shrimp.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!   
> Hope you liked this <3  
> This is my first fic on Ao3 and I will update it on Saturdays and Wednesdays :)  
> You can also find me at my Tumblr @Herongraystairsbitch


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